NFL makes less than 200 pages available in bounty case

At roughly 2:00 p.m. ET on Friday, the NFL delivered by courier to the NFLPA the information on which the league plans to rely at Monday’s appeal hearings as to suspensions imposed on Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Saints defensive end Will Smith, Packers defensive end Anthony Hargrove, and Browns linebacker Scott Fujita.

From a much-ballyhooed 50,000-page file (which by its sheer volume presumably means that there was a bounty system, right?), the NFL surrendered, we’re told, fewer than 200 pages of information, arising from 16 total documents, which includes among other things handwritten notes, the email from Mike Ornstein containing the reference to the alleged $5,000 bounty on Aaron Rodgers, and seven different Power Point presentations shown by Saints coaches to players.

The league also produced footage from the 2009 NFC title game, with emphasis on a legal hit applied to Vikings quarterback Brett Favre followed by a player being heard asking for his “money.”

Surprisingly, the “evidence” produced by the NFL includes things that clearly aren’t evidence. For example, the league’s submission includes the rambling 10,000-plus word online manifesto posted on May 31 by Sean Pamphilon, and a June 6 article by Mike Triplette of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, in which he interviews linebacker Scott Shanle.

Per a source familiar with the information produced by the NFL, the packet contains no obvious smoking gun. “It’s a water gun,” the source said.

That said, the source cautioned that review of the materials is ongoing. Initial scrutiny of the information reveals evidence of salary cap violations, but it includes no evidence of players being paid to inflict injury, players paying others to inflict injury, or players offering money to others to inflict injury. For example, the NFLPA has yet to locate in the packet any evidence establishing that linebacker Jonathan Vilma offered $10,000 to anyone who inflicted injury on Brett Favre or Kurt Warner during the 2009 playoffs.

Perhaps most significantly, the submission doesn’t include the bounty ledger about which Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reported a couple of weeks ago.

The source said that the package of information also contains no list of witnesses to be called by the NFL, which reinforces the perception that Commissioner Roger Goodell will simply give the players the opportunity to explain their side of the story.

With such a limited compilation of evidence and no apparent plan to call witnesses — and no likely inclination to make witnesses available to be questioned by the players — it wouldn’t surprise us if linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who has sued Commissioner Roger Goodell, refuses to proceed. Or if, at a minimum, Vilma refuses to say anything until the NFL produces real evidence showing that Vilma offered money for injury to be inflicted on another player.

And by that last statemet “Commissioner Roger Goodell will simply give the players the opportunity to explain their side of he story” does that mean that our players have absolutely no chance against Goodell?
The manifesto by Pamphilon was dated May 31st, long after Goodell punished the players. The Shanle interview was long after Goodell punished the players.
“The league also produced footage from the 2009 NFC title game, with emphasis on a legal hit applied to Vikings quarterback Brett Favre followed by a player being heard asking for his “money”.” What exactly does this prove? And were any of the suspended players the source of that question?
Still too many questions, and not nearly enough answers.
O.K. when is the media going to admit that they were wrong in jumping on this Saints hatred bandwagon and believing everything that the NFL and Goodell said about the Saints? Who’s going to the be the first to admit that the NFL is wrong in pursuing these harse punishments against players? O.K. there was a pay-for-performance which is against the salary cap rules. But does that REALLY necessitate a year long suspension????

This is a private diciplinary hearing. There are no rules of evidence and there is no judge to hold anyone in contempt for not producing requested documantation. PFT want to pretend this is a court proceeding when they obviously know it is not.

The NFL already said there was no club money used, so there was no salary cap violation.

It’s becoming obvious that instead of taking the easy road and punishing Saints players and coaches for a pay-for-performance program and possible cap violations, Goodell saw an opportunity to take a home run swing and prove his concern for player safety (driven to do so by a class action lawsuit against the NFL) by making this a pay-for-injury program, and based it all on locker room rah-rah speeches and emails that could easily be taken out of context (once again, Ornstein was broke and in jail!).

Unfortunately for the Saints and for the NFL (and fans, if you care about the integrity of the league’s highest authority), Goodell might well get away with it unless this goes to the courtroom.

SeenThisB4 says:
Jun 15, 2012 5:10 PM
Seems like it’s all circumstanial evidence….not surprising. A house of cards. But, Goodell’s not going to overturn his own imposed penalties. But, Vilma’s lawsuit just got a little more viable.

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Exactly! There is no “on the field” evidence of any bounties. If Vilma stays the course, he will win his lawsuit.

Sigh. Saints fans, please don’t fall for an obvious attempt by the media (Mikey the Crusader Florio in this case) to get more fodder from the NFL. He doesn’t care who wins or loses in this, he only wants schmutz to print during the doldrums of football reporting. It’s really kinda disappointing because you are being used to further his agenda. For instance, he knows full well the issue has nothing to do with actual injuries or “cartoffs”. So why does he keep harping on it? If you think I’m crazy, just wait to see how much coverage this story gets when training camp begins. You won’t read zip about it because Mike knows know one will care then.

Goodell can discipline members of the league simply for the appearance of impropriety. It comes from his duty to defend the NFL. There does not have to be an actual crime or rules violation. If there is bad publicity associated with something, Goodell has the right to discipline the ‘offenders.’ Remember, Roethlisberger had no arrest and no charges, but he had a horrible public image. Pac Man Jones did not have any convictions, just a lot of arrests and the resulting bad press. These Saints players and coaches have admitted that there was ‘pay for performance.’ That is a rule violation and by itself is justification for the punishments. The fact that Godell may have embellished that into a bounty is only relevent in the defamation trial. It means nothing as far as the acutal discipline is concerned.

@nard100: “For instance, he knows full well the issue has nothing to do with actual injuries or “cartoffs”. So why does he keep harping on it?”

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Wrong, the issue *is* about injuries. If it was just a regular pay for performance plan, Payton would not have been suspended for a year for “lying about ending the bounty program”, and the defensive players would not have been suspended. The players were solely suspended for participating in a program that actively tried to injure other players.

There would have only been monetary fines and maybe the loss of the 2nd rd draft pick for salary cap violations. Pay for performance bonuses are a very minor rule violation.

So it *IS* all about the injuries. Why else would this have been so important? Do you think suspensions and media furor would have been as high if it was just “They got paid $100 for an INT”? Of course not.

After all is said and done, I hope the court holds Goodell personally liable to pay all of these suspended coaches and players every cent they would have made if they weren’t suspended as well as consequential damages for lost opportunities. Only in Yemen could you be punished as severely as these guys (yeah…you can chop my hand off for $7M….I’ll live on a beach with a hook!) without breaking any written rule, much less a law.

You have got to be kidding me!! Still waiting for “pay for injury/cartoffs evidence if there is any. Everything is on tape, I am sure that the NFL can prove these damming alligations. If the released evidence is what caused coaches and players to be suspended then those suspensions should be overturned and APPROPRIATE discipline should be administered. Further, Goddell should be fired by team owners.

We all knows Roger Goodell is the NFL commissioner but just because he’s in that position does not mean he can do things illegal. What goes for the coaches, players, general managers, also goes for the NFL commissioners before you jury anyone you must have solid evidences. Evidences that are going to line-up with what you are talking about THANK GOD for the lawyers. All you foolish thinking people’s out there that think Roger Goodell suppose to be judge, jury, and hangman, when you get in trouble just give your case to the judge and tell him to work at out. When you knows you are innocent what you going to do leave it up to the judge and you have a murder case someone said you did and you don’t need a lawyer. Everybody need a lawyer to defend you if not you will be charge with something you didn’t do.

Like i have been saying…just a stupid witch hunt. GODell handled this whole thing like an amateur from start to finish.
50,000 pages of hard evidence he said….and this…

Goodell*
Future National Enquirer GM.
I hope this is the end of him before he goes after another team for something as ridiculous.
This is football…they ALL get paid to hit each other. Goodell never played sports or he would have known that.
So can we have our season back soon?

When people in power pashionately defend the security, sanctity or integrity of an institution but have no checks to offset their power, then individual freedoms and liberties are kicked to the curb.

Roger’s in a tough spot. The Saints organization was clearly out of control but the sanctions imposed on players without sufficient evidence will blow up in his face. His actions should have stopped with draft picks, fines and coaching suspensions. Players will police themselves and bounties will go away once team mangement is put in check. Crushing the little guys is overkill.